The Owl & the Pussycat

This new musical written by Peter Crussell and Rowan Marshall is based on the poem The Owl and the Pussycat by Edward Lear.   The show is faithful to the original poem in that every point in the poem is included whilst enjoying several embellishments from the writers' imaginations. 

The Owl and the Pussycat meet at a disco in Esher, Surrey much to the chagrin of Owl’s friends Brian and Dave who can only see trouble in Owl’s relationship with a cat.  Their efforts to break up the relationship backfire and the pair set off on some amazing adventures which include a bus journey, a Pea Green Boat, a storm, an encounter with pirates and the revelations of the Runcible Spoon.

The cast were extremely well-rehearsed and totally committed to the premiere performance of this new musical. 

The opening ensemble number The Owl and the Pussycat got things off to a good start but I was too busy concentrating on and admiring the fantastic make-up and costumes depicting the animal characters which made up the cast to allow it to make an impact on me.  We had no trouble at all in identifying Celia and Cecily the Swan sisters; Hermione Horse & her daughter, Hyacinth or Gavin and Gertrude Goat. Top marks to Aaf Dawes for the incredibly clever costumes and to Angie, Alysha and Anastasia Barnes and Lydia Crussell for the equally imaginative make-up.

The cast was superbly led by ‘magical’ narrator Sybil played by Annelise Barnes who has a superb voice and did full justice to all her linking solos with The Heartsong as her piece de resistance. Ms Barnes is not so dusty as an actress either, turning in an extremely polished performance.

Adam Hebbard and Caroline Turnbull in the title roles worked well together and any little wobbles could be put down to first night/premiere performance nerves.  Both, though, were well cast.

Martin Kemp and Mark Wright as Owl's friends Brian and Dave gave great support - the  Elephant in the Room song was very funny.  Mr Wright definitely came into his own in Act Two as the King of the Piggy Pirates.  Most of the unsung dialogue was also in Act Two with the gang of Piggy Pirates revelling in the freedom to be silly. 

The whole cast threw themselves into this production one hundred percent.  This was a real team effort and we even had a cameo from the co-writer and director who turned up as a (very recognisable) Turkey to perform the marriage of the Owl to the Pussycat. 

Rowan Marshall’s music was outstanding and there were some lovely lyrics.  Several of the songs were absolutely beautiful The Heartsong in particular and You’re Amazing plus the finale song By The Light of the Moon.  Many of the songs, particularly those featuring the ensemble were ‘fast and furious’ which meant it was difficult to distinguish the lyrics: nevertheless they were all extremely well done.

Obviously there were glitches, first night and all that. Feedback from the radio mics in Act One was a nuisance but soon got sorted.  The projected scenery on the giant screen on the back wall worked really well and carried us off to the right place at the right time and helped with swift scene changes.

There was tremendous attention paid to detail throughout, even front of house where each table had a pea green boat made from a piece of the music plus a jar of honey wrapped in a five-pound note to the coordinated poster (beautifully designed by Christopher Lewis),  tickets and programmes and even one of the raffle prizes.  Compliments to Choreographer Samantha Gallop and the whole production team.  This was obviously a team effort from start to finish from front of house to back stage. One comment -  it would have been a nice touch though to have had the poem included in the programme for those unfamiliar with the tale.

I am sure this musical will enjoy success.  It certainly makes an excellent family show.  Congratulations to CAT for having the courage to back writers Peter Crussell and Rowan Marshall, who also acted as director and musical director respectively.  The premiere was certainly well received by those fortunate enough to be there.  Well done to all involved, I hope the show goes on to great things.

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